3D printing startup wants to create a Netflix for real life things

3D printing might be at the forefront of a manufacturing revolution, but copyright concerns threaten to stand in the way. Already companies that offer 3D printing on-demand have been forced to hire legal teams to deal with complaints from copyright holders who claim their intellectual property is being printed without authorization. A California startup called Authentise aims to head off the legal woes before it causes trouble for consumers. Authentise is preparing to launch a streaming service for 3D printing — it’s like Netflix for real things.

Authentise is a company with just five employees, backed by Google and the X Prize foundation via Singularity University. Its solution would connect to a 3D printer somewhere on the internet and pass the necessary instructions for printing an object to it. The complete file is not retained by the user’s system, which prevents unauthorized copying. It’s the same way streaming video works. The bits that make up the video are sent over as needed, buffered, then used to display the video output and discarded.

The company plans to launch an alpha test of its streaming technology called SendShapes as soon as next month. Since there is no native support for 3D streaming in any existing printer or software suite, users will need to install a small program to pass the instructions along to the printer. This process could enable one-time paid printing services for 3D objects, like an iTunes store for physical things that you can make at home.

This technology could go one of two ways. It could make 3D printing more vibrant and encourage copyright holders to play ball. A more dystopian view might be that the openness which has made 3D printing so popular will be harmed by any kind of widespread protected access solution or DRM.

If things go well, we might see repositories of replacement parts for appliances and other household items. If something’s broken, a consumer might be willing to pay a few bucks for a verified, official replacement part. Similarly, consumers might be happy to pay a few dollars to HBO to print a Game of Thrones phone dock. SendShapes, or another service like it, could provide that while protecting the original file.

However, there may come a day that 3D printers can only print objects from streaming services. It may not be outside the realm of possibility — the owners of intellectual property are more litigious these days, probably spooked by the rapid expansion of online file sharing for music and video. Forcing users into the streaming model would also slow the spread of 3D printed weapons, which governments have an interest in.

Another potential issue, what happens if the object doesn’t print correctly? 3D printing requires some trial and error to get the best results. Do you pay for each attempt, or only for the successes?

Copyright law for 3D designs is still a murky area, and legal battles are sure to be fought over it. Whatever the outcome, real life objects could soon be streaming to a printer near you.

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It’s also worth considering that you could probably end up getting these on “contract.” The price being subsidised by needing to pay a subscription to the streaming service to get access to models. As a tinkerer of sorts, I would love that access, especially if it meant a smaller upfront cost in exchange for a lower, on-going charge.

Jeri Haapavuo

What about 3D scanners? It’s pretty easy to make “illegal” copies – or are they illegal?

Neutrino .

At some point I think we’ll end up being forced to have DRM installed in our eyeballs.

Techutante

Scanners can only make external scans though. You can print things in greatly more detail than allowed by merely the scanning of the external surface. So unless someone invents say, a cosmic ray structural scanner, (Coming to BestBuy near you) you can’t ever really truly copy anything more complicated than an action figure.

Bob Dobbs

“However, there may come a day that 3D printers can only print objects from streaming services. It may not be outside the realm of possibility”

Come on… There’s ZERO reason to think that will ever, ever happen. I again repeat that intellectual property concerns regarding 3D printing are not at all different from those regarding 2D printing or digital music and video. I would argue the concerns are less due to the fundamental difficulties in replicating 3D products.

To believe there will eventually be legislation on the books that restrict 3D printing to streaming services is silly. That’s like saying eventually digital music will only be through streaming services one day because it’s the exact same issue. We all know that isn’t going to happen…

Techutante

Piracy keeps the businesses honestly, really. If they get too outrageous in their demands, people will quit paying.

Marrach

So you would have no problem having that Dog eat Dog rule applied to your work? Especially if you’re a Programmer/coder, this must be the rule you’d like to live by?

http://www.manicfringe.com/ Lucien Gendrot

I can’t tell if you’re trying to be flippant.

But I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt, because I’m sure you’re aware that many MANY coders are huge proponents of open source programming. All anybody has to do to see that is take a quick glance at github.

Techutante

It’s already applied to my work. We’re a contract company, so if someone says they can do it cheaper, they can take our job. (Well, take it out from under our bid) If I was a programmer, it would be exactly the same though. Programming is extremely dog-eat-dog.

Rartemass

Yeah I can’t see that happening either. I am looking at getting a 3D printer for Xmas for the sole purpose of designing my own figures in Z-brush or similar and making a real life model to paint. That is a required feature of 3D printers and no manufacturer will hamstring themselves by preventing printing unless you stream the object.
I CAN however see a streaming service subsidising the cost of a 3D printer for paid subscribed users that only works with their service. Basically you sign up for a particular level of service and they send you a 3D printer.

http://www.manicfringe.com/ Lucien Gendrot

It’s hard for me to imagine that the intellectual property landscape will be “not at all different” from how 2D printing works right now.

Indeed it’s even harder for me to imagine patent laws staying the same in the face of the exponential-growth nature of information technologies. Things will only start getting more complicated if we continue clinging to how we think about intellectual property nowadays.

http://www.hancon.ch/ Jochen H

I am wondering how material and printing properties will be considered for streaming the print instructions (temperature, filament diameter, layer height, infill, support, …). These all are very relevant for a successful and high quality print.

Richard

Here is an Interesting article which i read few hours back, Top 5 3D Printed objects I was much impressed with 3D Gun and Ear

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